English Monarchy: The House of Tudor

The conclusion to the War of Roses marked a major historical turning point for England. It ushered in a new era, away from the Middle Ages and onto a Golden Age. Part of this upward shift had to do with the invention of the printing press, the discovery of the new world, and the Renaissance that was sweeping Europe at the time. England thus found themselves at the threshold of art, culture, exploration, and power much thanks to the leadership of the House of Tudor.

By defeating King Richard III from the House of Lancaster, King Henry VII ushered in his Tudor dynasty to the throne of England. The next 100 years marked significant change for England. The Tudors strengthened their control of territories such as Wales and Ireland. They broke away from the Catholic Church when King Henry VIII was not allowed to have his marriage annulled. The arts would go on to flourish and establish an English identity
. The Tudors also gave way to the 1st queens to sit on the throne, Jane, Mary, and eventually the great Queen Elizabeth. 

This era is often referred to as the English Renaissance, that allowed artists such as William Shakespeare to prosper. It was the age of exploration where many English settlers such as Francis Drake began exploring and eventually colonizing the new world. It also consisted of the English Reformation, where the Church of England gave way for Protestants. This age reached it's height during the 45 year reign of Queen Elizabeth.

House of Tudor (1485-1603)

King Henry VII

Reign: 1485-1509

Dynasty: House of Tudor

Marriage: Elizabeth of York

Children: Arthur, Margaret, Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, Edmund, Katherine

Historical Bio: He defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, and crowned himself king from the House of Tudor. Following years of civil war, he was able to restore stability with the nobles of the kingdom. While he still dealt with numerous rebellions throughout his reign he was able to secure his kingdom through strategic marriages and economic initiatives. He was also very involved in foreign relations, and secured peace with the French and Scottish. He was also very aware of the rising Spanish kingdom, and in an attempt to maintain good relations he arranged a marriage between his eldest son Arthur to the daughter of King Ferdinand, Catherine of Aragon. Following the sudden death of Arthur shortly after, he renewed his alliance through the marriage of his 2nd son, Henry with Catherine in 1509. He died that year and his son Henry VIII succeeded him to the throne. 

King Henry VIII

Reign: 1509-1547

Dynasty: House of Tudor

Marriage: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr

Children: Mary, Elizabeth, Edward, 

Historical Bio: He was the 2nd son of King Henry VII, and succeeded his father to the throne in 1509. He is perhaps one of the most famous of the English monarchies and lived a very eventful life. He was very athletic, intelligent, and a stout patron of the arts. He spent the early part of his reign maintaining the good relations his father had established. This included the nobles, yet also with France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. However by 1520, Henry began to grow anxious as his wife, Catherine, had only produced him a daughter, Mary, and not a male heir. This would eventually lead to royal divorce that was disputed by the Catholic Church. In a sheer act of defiance against the Pope, Henry went ahead and divorced his wife Catherine of Aragon, and married Anne Boleynn. He was later excommunicated by the Pope, and thus led to the English Reformation and the Church of England. By 1536, his second wife, Anne Boleyn, had only produced him a female child, Elizabeth, and not a male heir. He later accused her of treason and had her executed. It was his third wife, Jane Seymour who finally gave him his male heir of Edward VI, in 1537. Following her death Henry would go on to marry three more times, making for a total of 6 marriages throughout his reign. By the end of his reign, he began to grow overly obese and died at the age of 55. His son Edward VI would go on to succeed him in 1547. 

King Edward VI

Reign: 1547-1553

Dynasty: House of Tudor

Marriage: No marriage or children

Historical Bio: He was the son of King Henry VIII, and succeeded his father to the throne at the young age of 9. His early reign was controlled by noble regents each trying to increase their power. Nonetheless he still played an active role as a young teenager and was especially influential on the advancement of the English Protestant Reformation. However through his lack of military experience, he lost territory to Scotland and parts of northern France. He grew ill at the young age of 15, and on his deathbed he accepted his cousin Jane, as his heir. His intentions were to avoid the kingdom from returning to Catholicism. 

Queen Jane 

Reign: 1553

Dynasty: House of  Suffolk

Marriage: Lord Guilford Dudley

Historical Bio: She was the niece of King Henry VIII and daughter of Henry Gray, Duke of Suffolk. She succeeded her dying cousin, King Edward VI at the young age of 17 to become the first Queen of England. However after the death of her cousin, she was turned against by the king's council who felt Mary, eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was the rightful heir. After only 9 days as Queen, Jane was murdered in the tower of London, and Mary assumed to the throne. 

Queen Mary

Reign: 1553-1558

Dynasty: House of Tudor

Marriage: Philip II of Spain

Historical Bio: She was the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and took the throne after the execution of Jane. Her interests were immediately aligned with the Spanish Kingdom and restoring Catholicism as the official Church of England. She married King Philip of Spain in 1554 to align both powerful kingdoms. She became known as "Bloody Mary" for her strict persecution of Protestants, burning over 200 at the stake. However her reign was short lived as she became very ill and died in 1558 without an heir. She was then succeeded by her sister, Elizabeth who quickly restored the Protestant Church of England. 

Queen Elizabeth

Reign: 1558-1603

Dynasty: House of Tudor

Marriage: No Marriage or Children

Historical Bio: She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and succeeded her sister Mary to the throne. Her first act as queen was to reestablish the English Protestant Church that her father had established and her sister Mary had reversed. She maintained political stability for the majority of her reign, however tensions grew with the Spanish Kingdom, mostly due to religion. The conflict finally broke into a series of intermittent battles from 1585-1604 known as the Anglo-Spanish War. One of the most famous of these battles was the English victory at the Spanish Armada in 1588. Commanded by Sir Francis Drake, the English Navy was able to repel the Spanish invasion through the use of fire-ships and tactical maneuvers. It brought Queen Elizabeth a glorious reputation  throughout her kingdom. Her era has become referred to as the Elizabethan Era, due to it's flourishing of the arts, especially theater and drama. She was herself a patron and admirer of the famed playwright, William Shakespeare. She reigned for 45 years however never got married or produced an heir. After her death in 1603 she was succeeded by her cousin, James I from the House of Stuart. King James would eventually go on to establish a Union of Crowns between England and Ireland, making way for what would become Great Britain.